The Dragon and the Dalek
by Scribe of Eden
Summary: A quick side trip in the TARDIS reveals a very interesting planet, with some very interesting ideas as to how the universe REALLY works. And a Dalek-proof armor of sorts.
1. Arrival on Eden

Disclaimer: Actually, half of this really is mine. I crossed _Doctor Who_ and a planet I created all by myself. Surprise, surprise.

**Chapter One**

**Arrival on Eden**

In the forest, a strange whooshing sound startled a flock of plain brown birds into the air. Not far away, a dark shape spouted flames, searing the birds. The shape then consumed them before vanishing into the trees.

The sound was caused by something no being in or around the forest had ever seen: a blue London police box. Most of the animals in the forest weren't interested in the mysterious blue box. In fact, only one being was even paying any attention to it. _Your Majesty_, the being said using its mind, _it has arrived._

_Very good,_ came the reply. _Remember, they must be brought to the palace alive. Do not fail me._

The being nodded and continued to watch the box. It nearly jumped out of its hide when the door opened and two figures stepped out. With a shake of its head, the being took off for the palace, so its ruler could hear of this mysterious development.

* * *

Rose Tyler was first to step out of the TARDIS, followed by the Doctor in his standard trench coat and sneakers.

"So where are we?" Rose asked, looking around.

"I'm not too sure yet, I think the TARDIS brought us here on her own," the Doctor replied. He stared intently at the trees around them. "I know exactly where we are," he said after a minute or so.

"And that would be?"

"It's called Eden."

"What, like the Garden of Eden?"

"Not exactly, no."

"Then what?"

"I'm not really sure. Even the Timelords never knew much about this planet aside from its name. Rumor has it that Eden is the exact center of the universe."

"But that can't be right. That's impossible." The Doctor just looked at her.

"Well, since we're here, we might as well look around. It's not every day you visit the center of the universe." And with that, he walked up to the nearest tree and hugged it. The tree dwarfed the tallest Earth trees. Its trunk was so wide, it could fit three large redwoods with room to spare.

Rose, while the Doctor was examining the tree, stayed by the TARDIS. She felt like she was being watched. She looked all around. The pair of them were alone, save for the TARDIS and a huge shape flying overhead. "Doctor, what is that?" she asked pointing to the shape.

"That, I believe, is one of the inhabitants. Coming in for a landing, by the look of it. Come on. Let's go say hello." And, without giving Rose any time to respond, the Doctor dragged her off after the creature.


	2. Truth and Fiction

Disclaimer: Dragons are mine still, Daleks are not. Darn.

**Chapter Two**

**Truth and Fiction**

It was some time before the pair of them reached the creature. By Rose's count, the Doctor used his sonic screwdriver about six times to locate it. In all honesty, she was fairly certain that he had messed up somehow, since all she could see in front of her was a wall of green.

"Here we are," the Doctor whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" Rose asked quietly.

"He's asleep. Just came from an island out to sea – missed the name though. Long flights like that really tire him out."

"He? Who are you talking about?"

"The dragon, of course." Rose could only shake her head. In all the time she had known the Doctor, she had never known him to insist on a fairy tale being real. The Doctor noticed. "I speak dragon. Watch."

He picked up a long branch and gently nudged what was, to Rose, a green wall. It moved, swinging a huge saurian head into their field of view. "We come from the planet Earth. We mean you no harm," he said.

The creature blinked. "Did you come through the Door?" it asked.

"No. We came in my TARDIS."

The head turned, allowing the creature to fix one deep blue eye on the Doctor. "I know your tale, Timelord-Doctor. I also know why you come. You seek answers to a question you fear to ask."

"It's just the Doctor," the Doctor corrected.

"Not among us, the Dragons of Eden."

* * *

"That's a dragon?" Rose asked. She was quite skeptical of the whole thing, which was no easy feat. "Dragons aren't real."

The dragon, whose name was Matoric, Chaotic Gaze in his language, turned to Rose. "Many of your Kind, Rose-Tyler of Earth, would deny that Timelord-Doctor exists. Yet, here he stands, as real as any of us."

The three of them were walking back to the TARDIS landing site. According to Matoric, the palace was a week's flight away. In the TARDIS, it would be only a few moments' flight.

"Doctor," Rose said, running a bit to catch up with him, "how is Matoric supposed to fit through the door?"

"Just watch," was his only reply.

* * *

"Fascinating device," Matoric commented. on seeing the interior of the TARDIS. "Really quite fascinating. We Dragons have a similar structure within the Chapel. The whole of our Kind can fit inside. Magic herself created the power, so our king, the Great Lord Draco, could protect us, his creations."

Rose had been stunned into silence. In all her time traveling with the Doctor, she had seen some fairly strange things, but none of them were as strange as seeing the TARDIS doors expand to grant Matoric passage.

"Really? This concept was actually first discovered by my people."

"No, Timelord-Doctor. You have it wrong. It was the Great Ones who made it and shared it with all the Kinds."

The Doctor shrugged and continued piloting the TARDIS. The engines whirred, sounding louder and more strained.


	3. Palace of the Dragons

Disclaimer: STILL half mine...

**Chapter Three**

**Palace of the Dragons**

The trip was over in a few seconds. "Here we are," the Doctor said, hitting a small bell. Rose opened the door and looked outside.

The TARDIS had landed on the front stoop of a massive castle. The front door was at least twice as tall as Matoric. "This is the palace," he said, before knocking on the door with one claw. It opened a tiny bit, just enough to reveal part of the creature that was welcoming them.

All Rose could see of it was a sliver. The creature was shaped like a dragon, but it was stony gray, and its eyes didn't gleam like Matoric's did. It seemed like the dragon was made entirely out of stone. "What is that?" she asked.

"A creature made of stone, by the look of it. They're found on a lot of different planets. On Earth, they're called golems. I never thought they'd be here."

"And here is where you are wrong, Timelord-Doctor," Matoric added. "Here they are servants to the royal family. Great Lord Nuk himself created them as a gift for Great Lord Draco when he ascended the throne."

"Who is Nuk?" Rose whispered to the Doctor.

"No idea," he replied.

Matoric ignored them and turned to the stone dragon at the door. "Tell Her Majesty that Timelord-Doctor has arrived and that the prophecy can now be fulfilled." The servant nodded and closed the door. "And now we wait. If you, Timelord-Doctor, are really who you say you are, then perhaps you may be able to help us."

"Help you how?"

"The Queen will explain."

* * *

It wasn't long before the stone dragon came back. "Her Majesty will see you now," the statue said. It pulled the door open just wide enough to admit Rose and the Doctor.

Rose turned around. "Aren't you coming with us, Matoric?" she asked.

The massive dragon shook his head. "My job was to bring you and Timelord-Doctor here alive. I will guard the TARDIS-box for your return. It is the least I can do." As he said those last few words, Matoric looked up at the sky, almost as if he were waiting for something.

"This way, Timelord-Doctor and Rose-Tyler. The queen awaits," called another servant from farther down the corridor. The palace itself was huge. Massive doors lined both sides of the corridor. Off to one side was an immense marble staircase. As they walked past it, Rose watched the swirled patterns in the stone as they changed.

"Doctor, the marble, in the staircase. I just saw the pattern change."

The Doctor wasn't concerned. "Patterns change all the time."

* * *

They stopped at a large wooden door. "The Queen awaits," said the stone dragon, before touching the door with the tip of one talon.

The door seemed to open on its own, revealing a massive chamber. It had to be the throne room. The walls were lined with tall pillars, each painted to look like the trees outside. The room was lit from torches in brackets between the pillars. At the far end, there was a dais, upon which rested a massive throne, made out of gold and other precious materials. Behind the throne hung an immense tapestry.

"That must be the royal line," the Doctor whispered. "Every time a new ruler takes the throne, the tapestry changes."

"But the whole thing leads back to one name," Rose added, noticing.

At that precise moment, the massive figure that had been reclining on the throne rose. The Dragon Queen steeped down from the dais. She wore no crown, nor carried any scepter. In fact, there was absolutely no sign that this dragon really was the queen. Yet, she carried herself in a way that clearly showed who she was. She seemed almost to glide over the stone floor, her razor-sharp claws producing only a faint clicking sound. She knelt to their level amidst the rustle of wings. "Welcome, Timelord-Doctor of Gallifrey and Rose-Tyler of Earth," the queen said in a smooth voice.

"Um, who are you?" Rose asked, looking into the dragon's eyes.

"Names are powerful things, are they not, Timelord-Doctor? Of course, I already know your name." The queen stopped talking. Her eyes seemed to gleam even brighter. The Doctor looked shocked. The queen lifted her huge head slightly higher. "However fascinating a Timelord's name may be, I called you here for a purpose. Follow me." The queen stood and led the pair to a small (to a dragon) corridor off the main chamber.

"You see, some months ago, the commondragons began noticing strange metal beings near Ald-Thuun. These beings aren't like anything we've seen before. The creatures proceeded to zap the commondragons with a strange light. No deaths, of course, but they were able to contain the creatures and bring one to the palace for study." The queen stopped in front of a small, plain metal door. "I have to warn you, Timelord-Doctor, Rose-Tyler, the creature inside this room is so terrible, none of our namers can name it." She pressed one talon to the door and growled softly.

The door slid open, revealing two dragons moving about in utter silence. Behind them was something neither the Doctor nor Rose wanted to see.


	4. Ricochet

Disclaimer: Still half mine. Interesting things are going to happen in this capter. Just wait and see.

**Chapter Four**

**Ricochet**

Behind the two dragons was a Dalek. Unlike the one in the alien museum, this one wasn't banged up. It wasn't chained, either. It just sat there, its eyepiece glowing brightly. Both Rose and the Doctor looked at it warily. The two dragons stopped bustling around the room and bowed to the queen.

"Has there been any change?" the queen asked.

"None, Your Majesty," one of the dragons replied.

"Find out what that device is. I will not stand for human devices on Eden."

"Yes Your Majesty," the dragons chorused. The queen nodded to Rose and the Doctor, before leaving them in the room.

"How are you containing it?" the Doctor asked from a safe distance.

"Quite easily, Timelord-Doctor," one of the dragons, who had sea-green scales, said. "The device is surrounded by a magical shield we tuned to its specific livingmagic. Never thought I'd find something like this with livingmagic. Truly remarkable."

The Doctor, for the first time in all the time Rose had known him, looked shocked. He looked like something he didn't know about the universe scared him. "What's living magic?" Rose asked the sea-green dragon.

"It's what keeps you and Timelord-Doctor alive," the dragon, who was most certainly female, responded. "It is a force present in all beings, created by the Great Lord Nif at the beginning of time. Most other Kinds in the universe can't comprehend livingmagic. They just don't have the mental capacity. Quite a pity. Humans especially. Although, Timelords seem to be unable to sense it at all." The dragon shook her head and resumed work.

Both Rose and the Doctor were thinking. The last time either of them saw a Dalek, it had tried to kill every living thing in the building. Yet, the queen had told a different story. Why would Daleks leave survivors?

It seemed to Rose that the Doctor already had an answer. He turned to the other dragon. "Can you get that thing to try and kill you?"

"Of course. I just have to dismantle the shield."

"Do it."

The male nodded, then began growling. The sound was punctuated by short grunts. There was no visible sign that the barrier had been removed, yet the Dalek stirred. The male dragon didn't do or say anything to it, yet it ignored both Rose and the Doctor, turning its eyepiece on the dragon. "Exterminate!" it said in its mechanical voice, gliding forward.

The Dalek's laser attachment shifted around, locking onto the dragon. _BWANG! _A blue light shot from the attachment, striking the dragon. The light bounced off his hide and hit the wall, leaving a scorch mark. The dragon was still alive. He growled again, containing the Dalek.

The Doctor was stunned.


	5. Truth in Fiction

Disclaimer: Half mine. Still. But you better pay VERY close attention to this chapter. There is some important information you need for the future. Wish I could say more, but, "Spoilers."

**Chapter Five**

**Truth in Fiction**

"That can't be possible," the Doctor said, staring at the male dragon.

"Many things thought impossible are really not, Timelord-Doctor. You yourself know of this," the male said wisely. His black scales shone in the light.

"I've never seen anyone survive that. Nor do Daleks leave survivors."

"Dalek? What is this Dalek you speak of?" chimed in the female. Rose stood off to the side, watching the three otherworldly beings converse.

"That," the Doctor said fiercely, pointing at the Dalek, "is a Dalek. They're abominations. They've been genetically engineered. Every emotion was removed from them except hate. They hate anything that isn't a Dalek and they'll kill it. One Dalek could destroy an entire planet."

"It does not look alive, yet there is livingmagic within." The male showed the Doctor a translucent screen with the readings.

"That's because the real creature is inside. The outside is just armor protecting it."

"Similar to our scales."

The Doctor said nothing. He didn't know what to make of any of it. Rose was just as confused. She looked at the female. "Couldn't you just breathe fire on it?" she asked.

"Of course we could. However, the queen does not wish it. She would rather study them in captivity and out in the universe before deciding whether to flame. Also, Al-An includes respecting all life," the female looked at the Dalek. "Even creatures such as this." She gazed at the Doctor. "You, Timelord-Doctor, do not respect Al-An. You assume a creature such as this hates all that are unlike itself, that it hates everything. Would you look upon your own kind and say they are not the same?" The dragon moved closer. "We watch over the whole of the universe, for it is our duty. We do not judge, or interfere. Every Kind has a right to live their own lives. Yet you insist on killing this creature and meddling in the lives of so many others. Leave us now, Timelord-Doctor. We have much work to do."

The pair of them turned to leave. As Rose tugged on the massive door, the black-scaled male spoke up. "You will return, Timelord-Doctor. You will return to Eden with a new face and a new companion. Three centuries will pass before you come, but come you will. When you do come again, that is the day we will no longer be allies." The male snorted then returned to work.

* * *

After a rather hasty farewell to the queen (somehow, she already knew what had transpired inside the lab), they found themselves on the front stoop of the palace with Matoric.

"I will eagerly await your return, Rose-Tyler of Earth," Matoric said.

"Of course," the Doctor muttered. "A dragon that flirts just as much as Captain Jack." He spoke up. "Come on, Rose, into the TARDIS." Rose nervously patted Matoric's leg before going inside.

As the TARDIS engines whirred, Matoric looked off in the distance. He could see the flashing lights the Daleks made as they ravaged Eden. He hoped the Ruling Council would agree to destroy the Daleks, or that the Doctor would return. _The Shadows draw ever closer,_ he thought quietly.

* * *

Inside the TARDIS, Rose turned to the Doctor. "Seriously, what were those creatures?"

"They were dragons, honest," the Doctor replied.

"Dragons can't be real. They're just stories."

While the engines whirred, the Doctor pulled up an image of a dragon on the screen. "On Earth, you all have four limbs. Dragons have six."

"But that doesn't explain why they're so well-known on Earth."

"No? Think about it. Aliens are well-known, but the stories are a bit garbled. Same with dragons. A few came to Earth by mistake, they bred, humans saw them, and stories were told about them. What amazes me," he said, turning the screen back and pulling up different information, "is that their planet is almost exactly at the center of the universe. Eden is the oldest planet in the universe, which shouldn't be possible. After all, the universe had to start somehow."

"Those dragons probably have their own stories explaining it," Rose put in.

"Probably. But we'll never know for sure. Allons-y!" Rose swore she could see a mischievous twinkle in the Doctor's eyes. He probably knew the answer already. After all, he was the Doctor. There wasn't a bit of the universe that he couldn't explain. Except Eden. For the most part, he seemed to know what he was talking about, but Rose couldn't be sure. Most of it was even more nonsensical than their other trips. From then on, every time she remembered the beauty of the planet Eden, her heart ached to go back.

And so, the TARDIS engines whirred, carrying the Doctor and Rose to their next adventure.


End file.
